First checked into the boards, then into the hospital...
Written: Oct 06 '01 (Updated Oct 06 '01)
Product Rating:
Pros: Great graphics, customizable soundtrack, import-a-face, decent commentary, only twenty bucks
Cons: There's no reason ten buttons shouldn't be enough for ANY sports game.
The Bottom Line: What can I say? The SNES NHL '96 straight owns this game, but I do have '96 on a pedestal. A great game that was a steal for twenty bucks.
Anyone who knows my gaming history (which I go over in great length with no foreseeable end) knows that I have a little history with EA Sports' NHL series. So, as usual, I'll tell you about it because, well, I get a kick out of forcing my pathetic life stories on people I don't know.
Back when I wrote my review on the Super NES, I made a top 25 list to accompany my review. I've never really been a sports game fanatic. I've owned and played my share, but there's just too many great games that appeal more to my taste (which prefers RPGs, Fighting Games and Shooters a la Gradius, not Goldeneye). But, on that day, only one sports game could come to mind... coming in at #18 was none other than the Tiburon-developed NHL '96. Sure, I owned other great sports games such as NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, Madden '96 (last year for my Browns) and even NHL '97 (first year for my Avalanche), but none of those games left as good a memory in my head as NHL '96.
NHL '97 added a few more moves that may have made the game more realistic (and many more if you were playing the PSX version), but also made the game less fun in my eyes. I'm all for simulation, but only so long as it doesn't take from the gaming experience. And, the subsequent years after this debacle (okay... maybe that's strong but my expectations were high... and the PSX one totally sucked) were really a reconstruction of the series. Apparent unfamiliarity teamed with a new developer for the series (Visual Sciences Ltd.) made, not only for a sloppy graphics engine, but some bad gameplay to boot. So, I quit supporting EA Sports.
But, a few months ago, as I was looking for a new sound card (I got the Sound Blaster 5.1 X-Gamer.) at Electronic Boutiques, I spotted NHL 2001 sitting in a discount area for the measly price of twenty bucks. I also saw NHL 2000 for fifteen bucks, but why not pay the five clams to get closer-to-current rosters and new teams? I needed something to test out my new sound card... um, other than the four games that came with the X-Gamer package, of course. Hell, and it'd be a good five months before the newest EA hockey game would come out so why not get it for cheap while it was still considered new?
So, I took that bad boy CD and its jewel case up out of the huge packaging that's a PC standard (and a good reason our world's rain forests are depleting rapidly) and popped that baby up into my DVD-ROM. After an easy installation, which gives you the option for a typical install (copies the main files), compact install (copies fewer files and reads most of the files from the disc when you play the game) and custom install (which I used to perform a complete installation... only need the CD to start the program), I was ready to hit the rink.
But, there's just one problem. I'm a console gamer... so I nearly forgot about that whole controller configuration thing. Luckily, the game recognized my Microsoft Sidewinder Game Pad, though it didn't pick up my Gravis Eliminator Game Pad Pro (which I affectionately refer to as "that stupid, worthless phucking piece of sh!t controller") so I was good to go. After a little bit of tweaking, I got the controls pretty close to the way I wanted them. The only problem was that there was no way I could fit line changes onto the controller and the buttons wouldn't let me double-up offense and defense the way I wanted. I want to be able to body check on defense with the same button that I shoot with, dammit!
Before I got into the game, I thought I'd get a little practice in. So, I booted up an exhibition game. And, even though I had did a complete install, the game still took nearly two minutes to load on my 650 AMD Duron. Bummer. The reason I love the Dreamcast and the N64 more than the Playstation is that there's little to no loading time.
Luckily, the gameplay was still the great fun that it was back in the days of the SNES. While I have yet to figure out the passing game and there's no easy shots to take, there was some balanced AI that's fairly forgiving. Whenever I did find a shot that was sure-fire, the computer would learn my ways and shut down that shot after a few times. Artificial intelligence that learns from its mistakes. I like that. Of course, in today's gaming world, it's expected.
One-timers are still easily done by passing the puck off and hitting the shoot button as it comes next to your other player. Checking isn't as easy as it was back in my days, but that's probably a good thing. The momentum physics that were added back in NHL '96 are still standing today so there's no quick turning on your skates and now you can make your players skate faster with the touch of a button. Juking moves have been added as has the ability to power up a shot. Nearly ever aspect of the game has been improved.
Except the fighting. You see, back in the day, you and your rival could have a fight last upwards of a minute and have a decent brawl that made you really feel like you achieved something when you won. Now, though, the fighting's so fast-paced and sloppy that it breaks down into a button mashing experience. It's like playing Street Fighter II for the first time and figuring out that all you need to do to win with E. Honda is stay in close and hit the holy hell out of those punch buttons. And, while you won't see Phil Housley doing a hundred hand slap, you will see him throw stiff, ugly punches in a fight sequence that makes you long for the fighting of Blades of Steel. Fighting in NHL 2001 really feels like playing with Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots. Sans the fun of knocking your opponent's head off.
One of the better features found in NHL 2001 that effect the gameplay is the ability to turn penalties on and off or pick and choose which calls the officials will make. So, if you're looking for a more arcade-like experience, turn off the roughing, high-sticking, offsides and cross-checking. You can also raise and lower just how strict the officials will be. Want no nonsense individuals calling every little thing they see or would you rather have them be closer to a wrestling referee and miss almost every call when a shiny object in the crowd distracts them for extended periods of time? You rock the vote, man, and your vote actually counts for something this time!
But then there were the other options not really related to gameplay that really won me over. First and foremost... the dittie importer. Let me explain the dittie importer.
NHL 2001 comes with a small program, called the "dittie importer," that converts "wav" and "mp3" files to "asx" files that the game reads for its music. Now you can control the music that plays during certain events.
I'm making no sense, aren't I?
All right. Let me go further in depth, then. During the game, there are triggered events that music will play during. Some of these events are when someone goes to the penalty box, whenever the puck goes out of play or whenever a couple of players get into a fight. The best way I can describe this to the masses is to say it's like when "Hit the Road, Jack" plays at a Chicago Bulls game whenever anyone fouls out. This feature, to me, the coolest feature I've ever found in a game.
So, if I win the Stanley Cup, I can actually be cliche and have Queen's "We Are the Champions" play during my celebration? Hell, when there's a fight, I can play Brainiac's "Go, Freaks, Go" and have them duke it to what would be the coolest fight song ever? Right on. And you can have more than one song so I also put in Downset's "Anger" in the same fight folder. For those of you unfamiliar with both songs, they have great intros that would start a fight off right. Words won't do the introductions any justice but I'll transcript it for good measure.
Brainiac: "Go, freaks, go!"
Downset: "Anger: Hostility towards the opposition..."
Here's some other songs that I added to my game during certain events.
The puck goes out of play:
Idol Taxi's "O.K. House" (from Jet Grind Radio just because I wanted to have that song somewhere.)
The home team gets a penalty:
Weezer's "Say It Ain't So"
Anthrax's "I'm the Man"
The away team gets a penalty:
Gravity Kills' "Guilty"
Time's running out and the away team's losing:
Jewel's "Foolish Games"
Beck's "Loser"
General music during gameplay:
Anthrax's "Bring the Noise"
Busta Rhymes' "Woo Hah"
Primitive Radio Gods' "Devil's Triangle"
Reel Big Fish's "Take on Me"
Stuck Mojo's "Rising"
So, as you can see, I really love this feature.
As a matter of fact, the sound as a whole is way better than I ever expected. After being gone for so long, I expected shoddy commentary a la NBA Hoopz but, instead, got commentary on par with Sega Sports' NFL 2K2 which, to me, has the best commentary of any sports game I've ever played, console or PC. The in-game sounds are all on spot and players all get their name announced as the action's going on.
Sadly, the sound effects are a little off. What's with the sound of a slapshot being more like the sound of a cannon firing? Why can't I hear at least a little noise coming from my players skates? Heck, where's the trash-talking I heard they added to the game?
As for graphics... well, it's a mixed bag. The graphics themselves are amazing. Characters are heavily detailed with great facial textures and the rink looks great. The crowd even reacts well to situations even though they're just some flat, 2D sprites moving stiffly. It's truly sweet and a giant bound upward since the last time I saw the series on the PC.
Between breaks in play, there's great instant replays and nice segue cutscenes throughout. Get a penalty and check out the coach yelling at you. Win a fight and watch the loser skate away with his head lowered in disgrace. This truly adds to the simulation experience.
But there's just one problem. Even though my computer's specs are WAY above the suggested system specs, the game suffers from lag. I applied the V1.03 patch hoping it would rectify my problems but it was more just for roster changes than anything else. Yesterday, I even went as far as upgrading my video card from the 16MB ATI Xpert 128 to the 64MB ATI Radeon DDR and it still suffers from lag. I tried everything I could think of, including lowering the game's detail to the minimum and raising the game's resolution (the Radeon actually performs better with higher resolutions) but it was all to no avail.
Actually, there is another problem with the graphics now that I think of it (and have played it since writing all the previous text). No matter how what level of detail you have the game set on, there's a little bit of polygon breakup. You'll see right through your player's jersey where his head and body meet. The only reason I noticed this was because I could see the crowd through my player. It's just a little gripe, honestly, and it doesn't deter from the gameplay so I can't complain. Well... I can't complain any more than I just did, I guess.
Then there's other options that deepen the gameplay. First and foremost, let's hit up the create-a-player option. It took me a little while to find where the feature was located at (in the coaching options screen) but am I ever glad that I did. While I am a little upset that you can always abuse the create-a-player option and create the next Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe or Wayne Gretzky, I also like to load my Avalanche with even more badass characters than they already have. You're given so many attribute points to play with that you really need to royally screw up to have a character with a play rating of anything less than 93.
Better yet is the feature that, thus far, is exclusive to the PC. If you've got the right digital photo format saved (such as "JPG" or "BMP" files), you can import anyone's face using the game's texture mapping ability. So, when I made myself, you'll see the same youthful face that I have as my profile picture right now. With just a few points of articulation, you can create a VERY accurate portrayal of anyone you have a picture of. It may take a little experimentation to get it just the way you want it.
Of course, there are a few limitations. First of all, facial hair doesn't really get picked up very well by the mapping. So, when I made up Kurt Cobain and Chris Jericho (two of my heros from very different worlds), their facial hair comes up only as darkened areas of their face. So, really, it looks like they've got dirt on their face. That's cool for the leader of the grunge movement, but all the Jericholics out there know that Chris is a pretty boy. So, well, I had to find a clean shaven Jericho which, we all know, isn't nearly as cool as having that freaky goatee. Next, you can't import your own hair into the game, either, and are forced to take one of about eight different hair types without the ability to change the color. No big deal, really, considering that your player's always going to have a helmet on anyway, but I'm anal retentive so it's another small gripe on my part.
So, well, if you really want to recreate the Great One, all you need is a photo and some supremely pumped up stats and you'll be good to go.
There are other options for super hockey enthusiasts out there such as a fantasy draft and stuff like that but those options never really appealed to me to start with and I highly doubt they ever will. The only time I ever messed with those type of options was the franchise mode of Madden 2001... I mean, how else would my Browns be a good team? (Seeing as how they ARE currently 2-1, I may be speaking too soon.) Sooner or later, I'll get around to creating my own team and team logo, but I'll just stick by my Avalanche for now. But one day, the Nordiques will return in true fashion.
Other play modes include the standard Season Mode. That's the bread and butter right there as far as I'm concerned. Let's just leave it as it's the NHL season for 2001 and you know all you need to know. There's also a Tournament Mode where you and your friends can set up bracket to see who's the resident badass of NHL 2001. And, of course, you can take the game online. But, considering I'm already suffering from a bit of lag without having to be connected through the net, I have yet to use this feature. If I ever find out what exactly the problem is, I'll update this review with plenty of information on the online gaming experience. Until then, though, this is pretty much it, folks. All I know now is that it's possible to have all 12 players on the ice be human controlled. Tres cool... unless your player's waiting in the penalty box for a double major fighting penalty. Then you might as well go out to eat.
So, what can I say? NHL 2001 is the best hockey game out today... period. Of course, with NHL 2002 out, now, there could be another greater. Still, as it stands, this is the game to get when you consider the price of the games (a twenty dollar difference) compared to the new upgrades to the game engine (which, outside of updated rosters, isn't much).
At the same time, though, when your closest competitor is a Midway Sports game (in the form of NHL Hitz 2002), it's not that difficult to be on the top of the heap.
So my final verdict? Well, if you've got a PS2 and want just a good gameplay experience, stick with that version of the game. If you want some cool extra options such as putting your face in the game and adding the music you want to hear along with the ability to save mid-game and pick up later where you left off (yeah, yeah... I didn't mention that until now), then pick up the PC version and you can't go wrong.
Me? I just wish I could find a way to map all the options to the controller instead of using the keyboard for line changes, but even that pain in the butt problem isn't enough to keep me away from NHL 2001.
It's a great game that just needs a little bit more tweaking before it's perfect. Your best bet is to get this now and wait for NHL 2003 to come out next year. I'm sure by then they'll have the game engine bugs fixed since, according to the many game reviews of NHL 2002 that I've been reading, the new game does not.
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